Delusions
by HollystormDragoness
Summary: Her best friend thinks she's delusional. Her queen believes she shouldn't exist. She herself isn't sure of her own sanity. But Swift Current knows two things for certain: she is in love with someone not from her world, and she will return to him. Even if it means she can never go home... (One-shot, may turn into a multi-chapter story)


**A.N: This is my first Wings of Fire fanfic...constructive criticism would be appreciated :)**

 **This is an AU, set at least ten or twenty years after the events of Darkness of Dragons. I hope you enjoy the story!**

"Look… I'm done with this argument. It's gone on far longer than it should have. Whatever's wrong with you is something I can't fix." The ebony-scaled dragon spread her wings and took off, calling over her shoulder, "Stay here if you want. I'm leaving."

"Wait…" I stared after my best friend as she flew away into the distance. "Stargazer…" She didn't stop, didn't even turn around. Tears streamed down my cheeks, sliding down the dark red scales and falling to the grass.

I pressed one talon against the base of the arching rock over my head. You've lost it all now… There's no way back without Stargazer's help. A twinkle from the small blue gems around my wrist caught my eye. I glanced at them.

Maybe she's right… Someone tried to prank me and see if I'd believe them. It's not like these could have really come from him... I tugged at the bracelet until it snapped, scattering aquamarines everywhere. What was left of the bracelet ended up in a bush. I wish… I wish I knew if it was really all a silly dream. If I'm crazy or if I'm right. If anything I thought was real...if it happened at all.

I spread my wings and turned away from the portal. Not a portal. An arch. Gateway Rock...just an oddly shaped piece of stone. Nothing- I couldn't finish the thought, the tears choking out all other conscious thought.

One of the aquamarines rolled to a stop, bumping against my talon. It sparkled in the half-daylight. A tear dripped down my cheek, slowly falling, and landed on the jewel with a splat. It sparkled again, flashing in the rays of dawn sunlight. I blinked, watching it. It's just an aquamarine.

Almost in slow motion, the gem rose up and lodged itself firmly into an indent at the top of Gateway Rock. Blue light burst from the jewel. It seemed to be exploding with magic. Impossible… I must be hallucinating. This can't be real… The magic wrapped around and through the arch. The sight captivated my attention, so much so that I didn't hear the wingbeats above me.

"Swift? Are you still out-" Stargazer stared at the now-formed portal. "What in the blazing sun…"

I looked at her, astonished. "You...you...see it too?"

Stargazer nodded, shell-shocked. "There's a...how did you...impossible…"

"The aquamarine." I murmured. "A tear...landed on it and...this."

"Is it even safe?" Stargazer looked at me. "It might not be… If it really goes to another world… What if it's not the one you're expecting?"

"I…" I stopped speaking as awful possibilities entered my mind. "But...what if it goes exactly where I expect it to? I have to try it…"  
Stargazer took a deep breath. "I know. I know…"

I wrapped my wings around her in a hug. "I'm coming back, you know. Not forever, not if the portal leads me to the right place. But for visits. Lots of those."

"I'll miss you. A lot," Stargazer murmured, hugging me back. "Don't you dare go off and forget me, okay?"

"I could never forget you. You're my best friend. That's never going to change." I smiled a little, feeling more tears rising to my barely-dry eyes.

Stargazer gave a watery smile back. "I won't forget you either… Now go on, if you're going. Otherwise it'll close before you get a chance to go."

I nodded and took a step forward. One more and I'll be in… I turned back for a final look. Sunlight shone through the mountains, turning the gray structures to silhouettes. The trees of the rainforest shone with sparkling dew. It's all so beautiful… But… I may have been born here, but my home is with the humans. With him.

With a final deep breath, and a final wave to Stargazer, I stepped into the portal. Magic swirled around me. It twisted and stretched and pulled and spun until I couldn't tell what was up and what was down and if I had hands or talons.

By the time I couldn't hardly stand it anymore, the portal dumped me mercilessly into a field of soft green grass. I closed my eyes until my head stopped spinning, then opened them again and broke into a grin. Strands of auburn hair flew into my face. I pushed them back with pale fingers. I'm human… And I'm home… A

"Look… I'm done with this argument. It's gone on far longer than it should have. Whatever's wrong with you is something I can't fix." The ebony-scaled dragon spread her wings and took off, calling over her shoulder, "Stay here if you want. I'm leaving."

"Wait…" I stared after my best friend as she flew away into the distance. "Stargazer…" She didn't stop, didn't even turn around. Tears streamed down my cheeks, sliding down the dark red scales and falling to the grass.

I pressed one talon against the base of the arching rock over my head. _You've lost it all now… There's no way back without Stargazer's help._ A twinkle from the small blue gems around my wrist caught my eye. I glanced at them.

 _Maybe she's right… Someone tried to prank me and see if I'd believe them. It's not like these could have really come from him..._ I tugged at the bracelet until it snapped, scattering aquamarines everywhere. What was left of the bracelet ended up in a bush. _I wish… I wish I knew if it was really all a silly dream. If I'm crazy or if I'm right. If anything I thought was real...if it happened at all._

I spread my wings and turned away from the portal. _Not a portal. An arch. Gateway Rock...just an oddly shaped piece of stone. Nothing-_ I couldn't finish the thought, the tears choking out all other conscious thought.

One of the aquamarines rolled to a stop, bumping against my talon. It sparkled in the half-daylight. A tear dripped down my cheek, slowly falling, and landed on the jewel with a _splat_. It sparkled again, flashing in the rays of dawn sunlight. I blinked, watching it. _It's just an aquamarine._

Almost in slow motion, the gem rose up and lodged itself firmly into an indent at the top of Gateway Rock. Blue light burst from the jewel. It seemed to be exploding with magic. _Impossible… I must be hallucinating. This can't be real…_ The magic wrapped around and through the arch. The sight captivated my attention, so much so that I didn't hear the wingbeats above me.

"Swift? Are you still out-" Stargazer stared at the now-formed portal. "What in the blazing sun…"

I looked at her, astonished. "You...you...see it too?"

Stargazer nodded, shell-shocked. "There's a...how did you...impossible…"

"The aquamarine." I murmured. "A tear...landed on it and...this."

"Is it even safe?" Stargazer looked at me. "It might not be… If it really goes to another world… What if it's not the one you're expecting?"

"I…" I stopped speaking as awful possibilities entered my mind. "But...what if it goes exactly where I expect it to? I have to try it…"  
Stargazer took a deep breath. "I know. I know…"

I wrapped my wings around her in a hug. "I'm coming back, you know. Not forever, not if the portal leads me to the right place. But for visits. Lots of those."

"I'll miss you. A lot," Stargazer murmured, hugging me back. "Don't you dare go off and forget me, okay?"

"I could never forget you. You're my best friend. That's never going to change." I smiled a little, feeling more tears rising to my barely-dry eyes.

Stargazer gave a watery smile back. "I won't forget you either… Now go on, if you're going. Otherwise it'll close before you get a chance to go."

I nodded and took a step forward. _One more and I'll be in…_ I turned back for a final look. Sunlight shone through the mountains, turning the gray structures to silhouettes. The trees of the rainforest shone with sparkling dew. _It's all so beautiful… But… I may have been born here, but my home is with the humans. With him._

With a final deep breath, and a final wave to Stargazer, I stepped into the portal. Magic swirled around me. It twisted and stretched and pulled and spun until I couldn't tell what was up and what was down and if I had hands or talons.

By the time I couldn't hardly stand it anymore, the portal dumped me mercilessly into a field of soft green grass. I closed my eyes until my head stopped spinning, then opened them again and broke into a grin. Strands of auburn hair flew into my face. I pushed them back with pale fingers. _I'm human… And I'm home…_

 _On the other side of the portal, tears fell from the golden eyes of an ebony-scaled dragon. She placed a claw against the aquamarine as the magic faded from the portal. "Someday...we'll meet again." One final, shining droplet fell with a_ splat _to the grass._

 _She didn't notice the ruby-scaled dragoness hovering just behind the trees. The young SkyWing queen smiled, a twisted, menacing smile, as the magic faded._ Someday, perhaps... Behind bars, where all of you half-breed scavenger sympathizers belong. _Red scales flashed as the young queen flew towards her palace._

 **QOTC: Would you be interested in reading more of this story, if I were to write it?**


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